First Date
by ElectroPrincess
Summary: A little follow on from Be My Valentine? Howard wants to take Vince on a date. Fluff-fest.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**** Thank you everyone who read and reviewed Be My Valentine? This is a bit of a follow up to that one. I wanted to show a little bit of where they went from there. Sorry it took so long, real life got in the way a little!**

**Disclaimer: **** They still don't belong to me, I'm just playing. They belong to Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt.**

Vince couldn't believe how well last night had gone. He had been feeling incredibly nervous all day as he had made the decorations and prepared the food. It was a strange feeling for him, he was usually pretty sure of himself and he didn't have to go to this much effort with any of the other people he had been with. This had been different though, this wasn't some faceless, nameless stranger picked up in a club, it was Howard. The man he had been in love with forever, the man who he was so sure would never feel the same way. He had been thinking about doing something like this for a while but had never managed to pluck up the courage. That had all changed though when he saw the card nestled amongst the hundreds of others he had received.

There had been no mistaking who the card was from even though there was no signature inside. The picture on the front was of a saxophone with love hearts coming out of it instead of musical notes. Who else would pick a jazzy card like that? The verse that was in the card, though it contained no mention of cream, could only have been one of Howard's creations.

Seeing this card had spurred Vince into action and without even having to consult with the plan pony the whole romantic evening had been arranged. Thankfully Naboo and Bollo had been willing to help out a little and had agreed to make themselves scarce for the evening.

Everything had gone perfectly and now Vince was slowly waking up to the sound of Naboo and Bollo discussing him and Howard after they had apparently fallen asleep on the sofa. They soon escaped into their bedroom though, unwilling to let the shaman and his familiar spoil the perfection of their current situation.

As soon as the door closed behind them Howard turned to look at him with such a serious and nervous expression that Vince started to worry that Howard had changed his mind and that this would be the end of them as a couple before they had even had a chance to begin. Vince wasn't sure he could go back to being just friends, he had loved Howard for far too long already and if that love was to be forced back into hiding then he wasn't sure how he would cope. He knew that no matter how hard he tried to scoop it back up there would be fragments of it that got missed and they would sit there forever a reminder of what a fool he had been and how he had been rejected by the one person the truly loved.

Howard leant in closer to Vince, and Vince couldn't help savouring the moment convinced as he now was that it was all about to end. Then he felt Howard's strong hand on his cheek and realised that their faces were so close that their breath was starting to mingle. Surely Howard wouldn't want to be this close to him if he did not share his feelings?

Then he felt a tickle as Howard's moustache tickled his face and suddenly he felt lips pressing against his own. It took Vince's brain a second or two (maybe more like three or four considering the size of it) to realise what was happening and to allow him to respond but once he realised that Howard really did mean it he lost himself in the kiss.

Vince had kissed a lot of people in his time, an awful lot of people, but never had he felt this with any of them. It was as if the kiss was sending electric currents throughout his body, every part of him tingled. As Howard went to pull away Vince realised that the kiss had actually sent him weak at the knees, he thought that this was just a saying not something that actually happened. Thankfully Howard caught hold of him before he hit the ground.

Vince never wanted to move again, Howard's strong arms were wrapped around him holding him tight as he pressed small kisses to Vince's forehead. Vince found himself feeling safe and secure; he knew that nothing bad would ever happen to him if he could stay wrapped up in Howard's arms.

Unfortunately Howard did not pick up on these thoughts as Vince was soon standing unaided again. He felt suddenly cold and alone, not having Howard's arms around him and found himself reaching for the other man again. Howard took hold of the hand that he has reached out and was looking at him intently.

"I want to do this properly, little man. I don't want to be just another notch on your bedpost. Like I told you before, once Howard Moon makes that leap it will be forever." Vince watched Howard as he listened to what the other man was saying. He couldn't believe that his dream had finally come true and Howard thought that this was anything like the others. The other people that he had invited into his bed just to try and take his mind off the fact that it was not Howard there beside him. Now that he had got what he wanted he never intended to let go.

"I want that too Howard, You could never be a notch, you mean so much more than that. There are only notches because I never thought I would get the one I really wanted." Vince finished his sentence with another kiss, still in wonder that he was allowed to kiss Howard and fully intending to make up for lost time.

Once they pulled apart to suck in some much needed oxygen Vince felt Howard lean down slightly and whisper in his ear so gently that he had to ask Howard to repeat himself. "I said, you electro-poof, will you go out on a date with me?" Vince looked up at Howard and saw how embarrassed the other man was at having to repeat his question in a louder voice. Where he once would have made fun of Howard for his inability to talk about things, Vince now found it endearing seeing just how much courage it took for Howard to ask anything that could end in rejection.

Vince pulled Howard a bit closer and said "I would love to go on a date with you, you jazzy freak." He felt Howard lighten up with relief, almost as if he had been holding his breath waiting for a reply.

"Go and get ready then, I know how long it takes!" Howard said to him with a laugh. Vince kissed Howard once more and then made a dash for the bathroom calling over his shoulder to ask Howard where it was that they were going considering it was still morning and he needed to know what to wear. Unfortunately Howard just gave him a smile and said "Just dress however you want, I'm sure you will look gorgeous no matter what."

This left Vince with far too many options which he considered as he scrubbed himself clean in the shower making sure to use his most delicious scented products to make himself even more irresistible.

Once out of the bathroom he settled down at his dressing table to make a start on his hair. Vince lost track of time doing this and was only pulled back to reality when Howard walked in fresh from the shower with just a towel wrapped around his waist. This was enough to make him forget all about his hair, something unheard of before.

"Sorry little man, I forgot to take some clothes with me." Howard said taking in the half finished hair and the fact that Vince was wearing no more clothes than him. Vince felt slightly self conscious, he had been in this state of undress around Howard before but it meant something different now. He wondered if Howard would like what he saw. At the same time as thinking this about himself he was taking in the image of Howard virtually naked in front of him and he found it difficult to stop his mind wandering off into a little world where neither of them was wearing anything at all and...

He was interrupted from this image by Howard leaning over and pressing his lips against Vince's half straightened hair. "I thought I best do that now before it is finished, I know how precious you are about your hair little man." Vince tried hard to be offended by this comment but it was difficult when Howard was so close that he could smell the scent of his shower gel lingering on his skin. It wasn't just that though, every time Howard called him little man it sent a shiver down his spine. It was a name that he had used for as long as they had known each other but it seemed to mean something more now, it almost sounded possessive.

Vince thought about this as he watched Howard walk back out of the room, he had never been comfortable with the idea of being tied down to one person, the whole idea of commitment brought him out in an incredibly unfashionable rash but even though he hadn't even been on a date with Howard yet he found that he actually liked the idea of Howard claiming him as his own. He wasn't sure what his friends would make of the situation, actually that wasn't true he knew that his friends would drop him like yesterday's catsuit, but he realised that he didn't care. Howard meant more to him than any of those others who only hung around him because he was so often on the cover of Cheekbone.

With this thought he finished getting ready, only taking two hours –possibly a record for him. He then walked out to find Howard waiting for him in the lounge.

Howard looked stunning; he had obviously taken note of the clothes Vince had picked out for him yesterday as there was not a shade of beige to be seen. He had even done something with his hair, Vince didn't know what to say but thankfully Howard started complimenting Vince on his outfit and didn't notice the stunned silence.

Vince did a little twirl to show off all angles of his outfit-skin-tight black and grey pinstripe skinnys, silver Chelsea boots and a customised Rolling Stones tee. He had made sure his make-up was perfect and every strand of hair was exactly in place. He wanted to make sure he looked his best for Howard no matter where they were going.

"Ready?" Howard asked holding his hand out to Vince who eagerly grabbed hold of it, still getting used to the fact that he was actually allowed to touch the jazzy Northerner.

All the way to their date Howard refused to tell Vince where they were going, claiming that he wanted to surprise him and Vince found that actually he didn't mind where they went, he trusted Howard not to take him anywhere to unfashionable or jazzy. He might be with the man he sort of loved but that didn't mean he was going to be visiting too many jazz clubs or even that weird Lester Cornflake's house that often. There was only so far love could take you after all.

Eventually they came to a stop and Vince looked out of the window excitedly, wondering where they might spend their first day as a couple. Then Howard was there opening his door and helping him out and Vince found that he liked this gentlemanliness, it made him feel small and delicate.

He looked up to find they were outside the London Aquarium and he let out a little excited squeal and grasped Howard's hand a little tighter as they walked in. "I know how much you miss being around animals Vince and I thought this would be suitable." Vince was touched at the thought Howard had put into this considering they had only been a couple less than 24hours, but he should have known that Howard would always do the right thing.

As they wandered round looking at all the exotic fish Vince was overcome with happiness, it was like all the bad things he had done to Howard over the past god-knows how long had melted away like a bin bag left in the rain. They held hands all the way round and chatted away about nothing in particular, commenting on the fish and occasionally on the other people that were wandering around.

Howard didn't even seem to mind when he got into an absorbing conversation with an eel, though he did look a little freaked out at the sight of it. Just another one of Howard's phobias Vince thought with a smile as he bid the eel farewell and wandered further through the aquarium.

It was a perfect day Vince thought as he snuck a quick kiss off Howard in front of the sharks; nothing could make this day any better.

Vince was proved wrong though as they reached the next exhibit, the seahorses. His attention was immediately captured by the multitude of colours of the tiny creatures swimming around gracefully. "I thought you might like these little man, they are pretty similar to you in a lot of ways." Howard said to him fondly.

"What? You callin' me a fish?" Vince replied with a laugh.

"No it's just that they are colourful and according to research they are quite flirty and quite often bisexual." Vince couldn't help but laugh at this, it did sound pretty much like him.

There was one thing he was confused about though and since Howard seemed to know so much he thought he would ask. "Is it true that it is the male seahorses that have the babies? Cause if it is then that is genius!"

Howard confirmed that it was true and commented on that being the only real difference between Vince and the amazing creatures they were standing in front of.

"It would be pretty genius if that happened in humans." Vince pondered wondering secretly what it would be like if he could carry Howard's child, he knew that Howard would be a fantastic father even though he was usually quite awkward around children if he had his own things would be different.

Vince was bought out of his daydream by Howard wrapping his arms around him and saying "I think you would be a wonderful mother Vince." Vince leant up and gave Howard a big kiss as a thank you for the lovely comment.

Eventually they reached the end of the aquarium and found the gift shop where Vince happily wandered around looking at the stuffed animals and the various other items featuring fish, sharks and turtles. He didn't even notice that Howard had slipped away from his side until he reappeared with a gift bag in his hands which he presented to Vince.

Inside there was a small stuffed toy in the shape of a seahorse and a certificate which he quickly scanned. It stated that Howard had adopted a seahorse in Vince's name. Vince once again squealed and threw his arms around Howard.

"This is the best present ever! Thank you Howard." He then proceeded to cover the older man's face in kisses until the shop assistant came over and asked if they could please refrain from doing that in the shop as it was putting the other customers off their purchases.

Vince and Howard giggled like love struck teenagers, which is pretty much what they were feeling like and hurried out of the shop. Vince suddenly very eager to get Howard home and thank him properly for the best date he had ever been on.

As he sat in the van looking at his seahorse a thought struck him and he decided to have a quiet word with Naboo about a couple of things when they got home.

**Hope you liked that as much as I liked writing it. Sorry if I got anything wrong about the aquarium, I have never been to the one in London only the one in Birmingham and even that was a while ago. All the stuff about the seahorses is true – I looked them up! ******


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to put up the next chapter of this story, there is no excuse other than I just met a guy and my mind has been on other things ******** Oh and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and added the story to their favourites. It makes my day to see all the lovely emails waiting for me.**

**Disclaimer: They still don't belong to me; all characters belong to Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt.**

Vince had all but bounced up the stairs and into the flat, clutching his seahorse and muttering something about needing to speak to Naboo. Howard had watched him go on ahead aware that he had not stopped smiling all day. This was a very new feeling for him, he usually passed his days thinking deep thoughts and struggling to find anything in the world to smile about. Yes sir, Howard Moon was one of life's deep thinkers, often found pondering the great mysteries of our time. Except at the moment he couldn't get his brain to settle on any subject except Vince. They had only declared their feelings for one another less than a day ago but Howard couldn't stop himself from thinking about their future and all the things that they would share. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have the man he loved love him back. He had spent so many years convinced that Vince would laugh in his face if he declared his feelings for him. Now that it had happened Howard had to keep pinching himself to make sure that this wasn't just another one of his Vince dreams.

Part of him was still incredibly scared though, he was only too aware of how fickle Vince could be and he knew that there was a chance that Vince would change his mind and decide that Howard was too unfashionable to be around or some other shallow reason for them not to be together. Howard tried to block the negative voice out of his head and concentrate on the incredible happiness that being with Vince had bought into his life.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Things had been going well for the best part of a month between Howard and Vince. They still bickered and Vince still insulted his love of jazz and his choice of clothing but there was a new lightness to it all. Most of their disagreements would be ended by them finding something more interesting to do with their mouths than fight. This happened much to the disgust of their two flatmates. Though Naboo and Bollo were for them being together in theory, actually walking in on them snogging in the kitchen first thing in the morning was a bit too much for either of them to take and there had been many pointed comments about them keeping these kinds of activities behind closed doors.

Howard had pretty much decided that he was going to carry on doing what he was doing regardless of what his flatmates thought. He was also aware that being with Vince was changing him, hopefully for the better, as this was not a course of action he would have ever considered before. All it usually took was one look from Bollo or one threat of Naboo turning his back on him to make Howard do whatever was expected of him. Now that he had Vince he was able to ignore these comments and do what made him happy for once in his life.

The only thing that was bothering him was the issue of his virginity. Vince was fully aware of Howard's lack of experience and had so far been incredibly considerate of Howard's need to take things slowly but Howard knew that at some point soon Vince was going to get bored of waiting for him to be ready. He loved Vince with all of his heart and wanted to their relationship to be complete but the thought of actually going through with it turned him into a gibbering wreck that was a world away from his usual man of action persona. He wasn't sure exactly what it was that was making him so nervous; he knew that Vince would be kind and considerate. It was probably the fact that his first time was going to be with another man. In school when they had been taught about these things it had always been heterosexual and there had been no mention of how things worked between two men. Howard was aware of the concept but the practicalities of it left him feeling more confused than ever. How were they supposed to know who went where?

Howard tried to get on with his life as much as possible, working in the shop, putting in his hours at stationary village and spending most of his evenings with Vince but all of these questions were constantly swirling around inside his head and the more he thought about it the less ready he felt for the whole thing. He knew he needed to talk the whole thing through with Vince who was infinitely more experienced than himself but he never seemed to find the right time or the right words.

Vince on the other hand was having the opposite problem, he had had so much experience and so many nameless, faceless partners that he didn't know how he could reassure Howard that this was the real thing and he wasn't just another conquest. Vince had never felt like this about anyone before, he was usually more the quickie in a club toilet kind of a guy. This was defiantly love though, he didn't even care that they had gone no further than kissing in nearly a month. Vince actually found himself wanting to take things slowly and enjoy each new experience. He may be the more experienced of the two but everything with Howard felt new and exciting; maybe because this was the first time his heart had been involved.

The more he thought about it though the less he knew what to say to reassure Howard that things between them would be different from all his other times. He kept finding himself staring at Howard wishing that the right words would magically form on his tongue to reassure him.

**Sorry it's a bit on the short side but that just seemed like a good place to stop for now. Hope you enjoyed ******


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